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The Replaced Ki 15390K 2023-09-01

"I needed whoever the traitor was to think I illing to trade you hters And then I waited"

"For what?" I asked

"For soe out"

"I take it they did" It wasn’t a question Of course they had or Griffin wouldn’t be here now, telling et Tyler away from this camp "So" I was almost afraid to ask "Who was the traitor?"

Griffin came inside and dropped to the bunk She put her face in her hands It was a strange reaction, not at all what I’d expected

I ran through the list of possibilities I’d already ruled out Simon and Willow, and I mentally ticked off Jett, and Natty since she’d been with me almost every minute of every day since Simon and I had landed in Silent Creek

"Thom," I breathed, al her voice echoing mine, I shook my head "No"

"It had to have been him back then too" The accusation was pitiful, as if it was painful for her to say "Heall these years I’ve alondered how they could know so much" Her face lifted so ere eye to eye "Has Simon ever wondered how the Hanford camp was found out?"

"Thom?" I asked with almost as much disbelief as her "Butwhy? And if they knehere the cahters just round you all up years ago?"

"Because we’re not the ones they really wanted They’ve been looking for a Replaced The Returned are child’s play" Even her shrug was unenthusiastic A whisper "Ito do their experiet They extract our DNA and dissect us andwho knohat else they do in that lab of theirs" I hugged hten "But it’s always been about finding a Replaced Thoet their hands on one of you"

"One of us You mean, me and Tyler?"

She nodded wearily Tiredly

But we couldn’t afford to be tired "What about that Alex kid? What if he was a Replaced? What if theythe aliens are honing their skills and there are er need five years, or even five days? What if we’re coht hours?"

"That’s not our concern At least not yet For now, I need to get you two out of here"